Members of the European Parliament yesterday (21 November) voted to approve the nomination of Tonio Borg as European commissioner for health. The vote paves the way for member states to confirm Borg as Malta’s European commissioner. A decision is expected in early December.

In a vote during the plenary session in Strasbourg, 386 MEPs backed Borg, with 281 voting ‘No’ to his appointment and 28 abstaining.

A defeat for Borg became a possibility the night before the vote when the centre-left Socialists and Democrats group voted to officially oppose the nomination. However, S&D group leader Hannes Swoboda, who earlier that day (20 November) said that he could see himself voting for Borg, said that Socialist MEPs were “free to vote according to their individual assessments”.

The ALDE group of Liberals in the Parliament said last week that its MEPs would vote against Borg for health commissioner, but would consider him for a different portfolio. The Greens and the GUE group of leftists said they would not support Borg for any portfolio. The centre-right European People’s Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists group supported the nomination.

Borg, who has held several posts in Malta’s governing centre-right Nationalist Party since 1998, was a controversial nominee for many because of his positions and comments on social issues such as abortion and gay rights. While opposing a law that would extend rental rights to same-sex cohabitating couples in 2009, he was quoted as saying, “we will only protect those who deserve protection”. He also campaigned to have a ban on abortion inserted into Malta’s constitution.

Split decision

Borg’s strong performance at his confirmation hearing last week (13 November) reassured many MEPs. But some Liberals and Socialists, including the heads of the Parliament’s gay- rights group, were not convinced.

Following the vote, Liberal German MEP Holger Krahmer said Borg had only been confirmed because the Socialists had lost their nerve. “Leading Social Democrats in the European Parliament, led by President [Martin] Schulz, have advanced Borg’s nomination behind the scenes, apparently to avoid a conflict between the institutions,” he said. “Borg is the wrong man at the wrong office and [Commission President José Manuel] Barroso has missed an opportunity to assign him a less sensitive portfolio.”

MEPs who were vocal in their opposition to Borg said that the divisions in the Parliament showed Borg that he cannot let his personal social views influence his policy-making.

“I believe the doubts we expressed in the past few weeks were perfectly legitimate, and I welcome the fact that Borg’s past actions were subjected to heightened scrutiny,” said Austrian Green MEP Ulrike Lunacek, co-president of the Parliament’s gay-rights group. “A large part of the European Parliament still needs to be convinced.”